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Conservative Party of Canada

Andrew Scheer

Raitt: Trudeau’s plan for massive deficits threatens jobs and growth

February 16, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ottawa, ON – Today the Liberal government continued to blame others instead of acknowledging Justin Trudeau’s “spending problem”, said Opposition Finance Critic Lisa Raitt. “The Conservative Party left the Liberals with a $1.2 billion surplus, and in less than 100 days the surplus was squandered by Prime Minister Trudeau.”

Last week Justin Trudeau finally admitted that he will break his promise to keep his deficits below $10-billion and he also raised doubts about his government’s ability to balance the books by 2019/2020.

“We are at a crossroads and the outlook is pretty bleak. Our economy is sluggish and Canadians are rightfully concerned about their jobs,” said Raitt. “Canadians are demanding immediate action, and I want to assure them that our leader Rona Ambrose and our Conservative Party will continue to stand up for the best interests of taxpayers.”

As Parliamentarians return to Ottawa following a week of unsettling economic news, Canada’s economy will take center stage. After previously dismissing the idea, the Conservative Caucus successfully pressured the Liberal Party to maintain the tradition of pre-budget consultations.

“The Liberal approach is proving to be dangerous to our already fragile economy. That is why we will force the Government to listen to the advice of job creators and industry leaders.”

The committee will also hear from Finance Minister Bill Morneau next Tuesday and the Conservative Party will continue to press the Liberal government for answers about how they will address their ballooning structural deficit.

“I would encourage the Finance Minister to listen carefully to what we have to say. The Minister’s own officials at Finance Canada have proven our legacy of being sound fiscal managers.”